Quest for Productivity Nirvana, Post #4 - Where are the out baskets

So, I’m about a month overdue for this posting.  No excuses - I’m just late.  Perhaps I’ll add a post on dealing with interruptions and procrastination.  Onto our post…

If there is one criticism I have of Getting Things Done by David Allen, it’s that the focus of the book is on you getting things done.  But for many of us, there are many other people in our lives who either work with us, for us, or are partners with us, in the terms of marriage and family, who may be willing to - or through the responsibilities of their job be required to - assist us with the various next actions and projects we face every single day. 

For me, there is a fine balance between delegation and having someone else do your job for you - and I’ll be the first to say I don’t walk that line well.  I’m blessed to have a staff of five direct reports - all of whom I can trust to get their jobs done.  But, sometimes - even though I trust them to get their jobs done - I have a hard time letting go of a job that one of them really should be doing.  I try to keep it because there is a certain way in which I believe it should be done and explaining that would take me as long as it would to just simply do the task myself.  Obviously, there is a problem with that line of thinking - if I am doing the job of folks who work for me, rather than doing my job, then I’m not giving my institution what it’s paying for in terms of my work and service.

And, more importantly to me if I truly consider what’s important to me, I’m not giving my staff members the chances to develop their skills and advance in the organization. 

So, how do you help yourself let go and give other people the opportunity?  I don’t really know the answer to that question - I’m still searching.  One effort I’m making is to have two separate projects lists - one for my own projects and one for delegated projects.  This helps me to see what I’ve delegated to each person (so I keep them balanced and don’t overload anyone) and it allows me to still hold onto the control I so desperately feel I need in making sure the project has been done in a positive and professional manner.  And, in the same regard, I’m encouraging my staff to do the same thing - many of the projects I give to them have pieces and parts that may be delegated to their staff members - so I’ve been open about the fact that I keep a list of projects I’ve delegated to them and encourage them to do the same.

If you’re not lucky enough to have a team of people that works for you, what other out baskets do you have for your next actions?  The biggest mention David Allen gives to the topic of “out baskets” - or where to send the stuff if it isn’t yours to do - is the mantra “Do it, Defer It, Delegate It, or Drop It”.  It’s a simple statement really - and easily committed to memory.  But, as you can see, if you don’t do it (as in doing it yourself) or having someone to whom to delegate it to , the only other options in DA’s opinion are to Defer or Drop the task - which may or may not be acceptable to you or to your boss.  So, what other options exist?  One that I’ve become interested in over the past few months is the world of online based freelance services.  I am a member of Elance (this is a referral link - you can also just go to www.elance.com if you prefer not to use the referral link).  Through this site, I’ve picked up a couple of neat projects and have also met a couple of good providers for work I have been sitting on for weeks that I didn’t have time to do myself as it never reached the top of my priority list.  E-Lance is just one such site on the web, but if you’re looking for a quick and effective way to find assistance for a variety of projects, then this is a great way to do business.

On the other side of work is what to do when you’ve finished your next actions and moved it on to is next home.  The @WaitingFor list of course is the parking lot for many of these types of items.  Perhaps you’ve reviewed the sales report and sent it back for editing and you’re waiting for copies to be delivered or shipment confirmation that they’ve arrived at the client’s desk.  Or, maybe you’ve delegated a project and now you’re waiting on a staff member to get back to you when they’ve had some time to get what you’ve requested.  Those, obviously go on the waiting for list.  But, what about when a project becomes finished?  What then?  You might say nothing, but in my mind, this is the perfect time to put that project back in front of you, review it quickly, and think about what application it might have to other projects you’re working on, what new work could it yield for you, what someday/maybe items did this project make you think of that you never took time to note on the appropriate list, or what checklist do you need to make so that the next time you’re confronted with a similar project you can avoid (or at least plan for) some of the hang ups that occurred on this project.  It may seem counterintuitive to put a finished project back in your in basket, but some of the biggest opportunities for growth I’ve ever experienced have come from a short debrief after a project is complete and you take the time to reflect on that project and think about all the ways you would do it differently next time.

I hope you’ll provide some comments on delegation, your favorite ways to get projects into your out basket, and more.  And, I’ll be back on schedule with quest articles from here on out…

This entry was posted on April 18, 2007 at 1:37 pm and is filed under productivity nirvana, productivity, gtd. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

| Print